Part 29 (1/2)
”We will if you'll promise not to run away,” answered Carl.
”That's the talk---let us make a prisoner of him!” cried Ike Akley.
”You have no right to touch me,” said Shep. ”You did very wrong to steal our things, and to try to burn down our cabin.”
”We---er---we didn't steal any things---we just ran off with them,”
said Ham Spink.
”It amounts to the same thing.”
”Then your crowd just stole our boat and our canoe,” put in Carl Dudder.
”Is your boat gone?” asked Shep, for this was the first he knew of it.
”You know well enough it is.”
”Where is our boat and our outfit?”
”Didn't you just take that too?” asked Jack Voss.
”Oh, then Snap-----” began the doctor's son, and broke off short.
”Was that Snap Dodge in the boat?” demanded Ham.
”What boat?”
”Your boat.”
”I don't know anything about it.”
”But you just said-----”
At that moment came a cry through the dark woods:
”Shep! Shep! where are you? Go back to the raft! It is all right---we have the outfit back! Go back to the raft!”
It was Snap who was calling, and in another minute he appeared and confronted the crowd that was holding Shep a prisoner.
CHAPTER XXIII
THE LOSS OF THE RAFT
It was so dark under the trees that for the moment Snap did not recognize his chum. Then he uttered an exclamation of commingled wonder and alarm.
”Let go of him!” he cried. ”Let go, I say!” and he caught Ham Spink by the arm.
”Capture him, fellows!” shouted Carl Dudder, and at once several of the Spink crowd fell upon Snap.
But Snap was not to be made a prisoner thus easily, and hitting out with all his might he sent Jack Voss reeling to the ground.